Books of the Bible Printable Guide for Kids (All 66 Books)

The Bible has 66 books -- 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament -- and this guide gives you the full list in order with a one-line, kid-friendly description of each. Print it, tape it inside your child's Bible cover, and use the memorization strategies below to help them learn all 66 in a few weeks.

Knowing the books in order isn't a party trick. A kid who knows where Habakkuk lives can actually find it during a sermon or a sword drill, and that small confidence makes the whole Bible feel like home.

What Are the 66 Books of the Bible in Order?

The 66 books run from Genesis to Revelation, and they're easiest to learn in groups rather than as one giant list. Below is every book with a one-liner your kids will actually understand. (For a deeper walkthrough of what each section is about, see our guide to the books of the Bible for kids.)

The Law (5 books)

1. Genesis -- Beginnings: creation, Noah, Abraham, and Joseph.
2. Exodus -- Moses leads God's people out of slavery in Egypt.
3. Leviticus -- God teaches His people how to worship and live holy lives.
4. Numbers -- Israel wanders the desert for 40 years (and gets counted twice).
5. Deuteronomy -- Moses' farewell speeches: "Remember everything God did."

Old Testament History (12 books)

1. Joshua -- The walls of Jericho fall and Israel enters the Promised Land.
2. Judges -- Heroes like Gideon, Deborah, and Samson rescue Israel again and again.
3. Ruth -- A loyal daughter-in-law becomes King David's great-grandmother.
4. 1 Samuel -- Samuel the prophet, King Saul, and David vs. Goliath.
5. 2 Samuel -- David becomes king -- with great victories and big mistakes.
6. 1 Kings -- Wise King Solomon builds the temple; the kingdom splits in two.
7. 2 Kings -- Elisha's miracles, and both kingdoms fall because they forgot God.
8. 1 Chronicles -- David's story retold, with a focus on worship.
9. 2 Chronicles -- The kings of Judah, from Solomon to the exile.
10. Ezra -- God's people come home and rebuild the temple.
11. Nehemiah -- A cupbearer rebuilds Jerusalem's walls in 52 days.
12. Esther -- A brave queen risks everything to save her people.

Poetry and Wisdom (5 books)

1. Job -- A suffering man learns to trust God even without answers.
2. Psalms -- 150 songs and prayers for every feeling you'll ever have.
3. Proverbs -- Short, wise sayings about how to live well.
4. Ecclesiastes -- Life without God is like chasing the wind.
5. Song of Songs -- A poem celebrating love and marriage.

Major Prophets (5 books)

1. Isaiah -- Promises of a coming Savior, written 700 years early.
2. Jeremiah -- The "weeping prophet" warns Jerusalem before it falls.
3. Lamentations -- Sad songs after Jerusalem is destroyed -- but hope survives.
4. Ezekiel -- Wild visions, including a valley of dry bones coming to life.
5. Daniel -- The fiery furnace, the lions' den, and dreams about the future.

Minor Prophets (12 books)

1. Hosea -- God loves His people even when they run away.
2. Joel -- A locust invasion and a promise of God's Spirit.
3. Amos -- A shepherd tells the rich to treat the poor fairly.
4. Obadiah -- The shortest Old Testament book: pride leads to a fall.
5. Jonah -- A runaway prophet, a giant fish, and a second chance.
6. Micah -- Predicts the Savior will be born in Bethlehem.
7. Nahum -- Nineveh gets a final warning.
8. Habakkuk -- A prophet asks God hard questions -- and God answers.
9. Zephaniah -- A day of judgment is coming, but God sings over His people.
10. Haggai -- "Stop procrastinating and finish the temple!"
11. Zechariah -- Visions of a King who will ride in on a donkey.
12. Malachi -- The Old Testament's last word: "Get ready. Someone is coming."

The Gospels and Acts (5 books)

1. Matthew -- Jesus is the promised King the prophets talked about.
2. Mark -- The action-packed, fastest-moving story of Jesus.
3. Luke -- A doctor carefully investigates and writes down Jesus' life.
4. John -- Jesus is the Son of God -- "believe and have life."
5. Acts -- The Holy Spirit comes and the church spreads everywhere.

Paul's Letters (13 books)

1. Romans -- The gospel explained from start to finish.
2. 1 Corinthians -- Love is patient, love is kind -- a messy church gets help.
3. 2 Corinthians -- God's power shows up best in our weakness.
4. Galatians -- You're saved by faith, not by following rules.
5. Ephesians -- Who you are in Christ -- plus the armor of God.
6. Philippians -- A letter full of joy, written from prison.
7. Colossians -- Jesus is greater than everything.
8. 1 Thessalonians -- Jesus is coming back, so live ready.
9. 2 Thessalonians -- Keep working and don't be fooled while you wait.
10. 1 Timothy -- Coaching for a young pastor.
11. 2 Timothy -- Paul's last letter: "Fight the good fight."
12. Titus -- How to lead a church on the island of Crete.
13. Philemon -- Paul asks a friend to forgive a runaway servant.

General Letters and Prophecy (9 books)

1. Hebrews -- Jesus is better than angels, priests, and sacrifices.
2. James -- Faith that's real shows up in what you do.
3. 1 Peter -- Standing strong when following Jesus is hard.
4. 2 Peter -- Watch out for false teachers; God keeps His promises.
5. 1 John -- God is love, and His kids love each other.
6. 2 John -- Walk in truth and love (only 13 verses!).
7. 3 John -- A thank-you note for showing hospitality.
8. Jude -- Defend the faith.
9. Revelation -- Jesus wins, and God makes everything new.

What's the Best Way for Kids to Memorize the Books of the Bible?

Chunking -- learning the books in small groups of 3 to 5 -- is the single most effective strategy for kids. Nobody memorizes a 66-item list in one shot; the brain wants small, repeatable units. The section groupings above are your chunks.

Here's a schedule that works for most families:

Three rules make chunking stick:

1. Always start from the beginning of the chunk, not the beginning of the Bible. If your child stumbles on Zephaniah, drill Nahum-Habakkuk-Zephaniah-Haggai, not Genesis onward.
2. Overlap the seams. The places kids blank out are the transitions -- Deuteronomy to Joshua, Malachi to Matthew. Practice the last book of one chunk plus the first book of the next as its own mini-drill.
3. Say it out loud, daily, for 2 minutes. Two minutes at breakfast beats twenty minutes on Saturday. The same spaced-repetition principle applies to verses too -- we cover it in our guide to Bible memory verse strategies for kids.

Do Songs Really Help Kids Learn the Books of the Bible?

Yes -- melody is the fastest memorization tool there is, which is why most adults who know all 66 books learned them from a childhood song. Music encodes sequence automatically; your child doesn't have to think about what comes after Obadiah because the tune pulls them forward.

A few practical tips:

• Pick one song and stick with it. Search "books of the Bible song" and you'll find dozens of versions from children's ministries. Switching tunes mid-learning confuses the sequence, so choose one and play it on repeat in the car.
• Sing it in two halves. Most songs naturally split at Malachi/Matthew. Master the Old Testament half before adding the New.
• Fade the training wheels. Once kids can sing along confidently, have them sing it a cappella, then say it without singing. The melody stays underneath as a safety net.
• Make up your own for trouble spots. A homemade chant for the minor prophets ("HO-sea, JO-el, A-mos, O-ba-DI-ah...") works as well as a professional recording.

What Activities Make Learning the Books Fun?

Games turn review from a chore into something kids ask to play again. Rotate through these:

1. Sword drills. Call out a book ("Titus!"), kids race to find it in a real Bible. First finger on the page wins the round -- and the memorized list becomes real navigation skill.
2. Bible bookshelf craft. Kids draw 66 book spines on paper strips (color-coded by section), cut them out, and glue them in order on a poster "shelf." The colors visually cement the groupings.
3. Cup stacking. Write one book on each of 66 paper cups. Kids stack them in order by section against a timer, knock them down, and race again.
4. Missing book. Lay out one chunk on index cards, remove one card while your child's eyes are closed, and ask which book is missing.
5. Order scramble. Shuffle a section's cards and time how fast your child can sequence them. Keep a family record board.
6. Before-and-after quiz. "What comes after Esther?" "What comes before Romans?" No materials needed. Once the books are down, level up with our Old Testament trivia questions and New Testament trivia questions about what's inside those books.
7. Beat the parent. Kids love nothing more than racing Mom or Dad through the minor prophets. Lose graciously (or don't -- a genuine race is more fun).

The list is the skeleton; the stories are the muscle. As your kids learn the book names, pair them with the stories inside -- our video lessons at Faithful Kids walk kids through the Bible book by book with a quiz after every episode, so the names on the list become stories they actually know.

What Age Should Kids Start Memorizing the Books of the Bible?

Ages 6-7 is the sweet spot to start, though preschoolers can learn sections through songs and most kids can master all 66 by age 8-10. Here's what to expect by age:

• Ages 4-5: Sing along with a books-of-the-Bible song. No pressure to recite.
• Ages 6-7: Learn the Old Testament and New Testament halves through songs and chunking, one section at a time.
• Ages 8-10: Master all 66 in order and start using them -- sword drills, finding passages during family devotions.
• Ages 11+: Add the "what's inside" layer: which books are history, which are letters, who wrote them, and roughly when.

Don't rush a reluctant 5-year-old, and don't assume a motivated 6-year-old can't do it -- some first graders learn the whole list in a month because a sibling is doing it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Bible?

The Protestant Bible has 66 books -- 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Catholic Bibles include 7 additional books (called the deuterocanonical books) for a total of 73. This guide follows the 66-book list used by most Protestant churches and Sunday school curricula.

How long does it take a child to memorize all 66 books?

Most kids ages 7 and up can learn all 66 books in 4-6 weeks with 2-3 minutes of daily practice. Using a song shortens that considerably -- some kids pick up the full list in two weeks of car-ride repetition. Consistency matters far more than session length.

What's the hardest part of the list for kids?

The minor prophets (Hosea through Malachi) trip up almost everyone -- the names are unfamiliar and there are 12 in a row. Break them into three chunks of four, practice them as a rhythmic chant, and give them roughly double the repetition of any other section.

Should kids learn the Old or New Testament books first?

Start with the Old Testament, because it comes first and songs almost always run in order. That said, if your child is younger and the 39 Old Testament books feel overwhelming, the 27 New Testament books are a shorter, quicker win that builds confidence -- there's no rule against starting there.

Why do kids need to memorize the books in order at all?

Because it turns the Bible from an intimidating brick into a navigable book. A child who knows the order can find any passage in seconds, follow along at church, and understand the Bible's big structure -- law, history, poetry, prophets, Gospels, letters.

What goes on a printable books-of-the-Bible page?

Keep it to one page: the 66 books in order, grouped and color-coded by section, in a font readable at a glance. Slip it into a page protector so kids can check off books with a dry-erase marker as they learn them -- the checking-off is half the motivation.